Integrated electronic component in vehicle body

ABSTRACT

An electronic component is integrated into a vehicle body component, such as an automobile, a bicycle, etc., and may be an electronic lighting material and/or an electronic sensor. The vehicle body component is formed of multiple layers of a composite material that may be assembled to take the shape of a mold of a particular vehicle component. A sensor or lighting device is disposed in a void formed in the one or more of the layers of the composite material, and this device may be enclosed in the void by other layers. The lighting material and/or sensing mechanism are configured to connect to a power source via electrical wiring that is disposed either between or through the composite layers that form the vehicle body component and the vehicle body component is then cured to form a hardened vehicle body part with the sensor or lighting device formed therein.

CROSS REFERENCE TO OTHER APPLICATIONS

This application claims benefit of and priority to U.S. ProvisionalPatent Application Ser. No. 62/415,423, entitled “Integrated ElectronicComponent in Vehicle Body,” filed on Oct. 31, 2016, and this applicationis a continuation-in-part of U.S. patent application Ser. No.14/841,041, entitled “Carbon Fiber Shells for Customizing the Appearanceof a Vehicle,” filed Aug. 31, 2015, which is a continuation applicationof U.S. patent application Ser. No. 13/851,701, entitled “Carbon FiberShells for Customizing the Appearance of a Vehicle,” filed Mar. 27,2013, now issued as U.S. Pat. No. 9,120,517, which claims the benefit ofand priority to U.S. Provisional Patent Application Ser. No. 61/616,992,entitled “Carbon Fiber Shells for Customizing the Appearance of aVehicle,” filed on Mar. 28, 2012, the entire disclosure of each of whichis hereby expressly incorporated by reference herein.

FIELD OF THE DISCLOSURE

This patent generally relates to a vehicle body component and a methodof manufacturing a vehicle body component, and in particular, a vehiclebody component, such as a vehicle body panel, that includes anelectronic component, such as an electronic light or an electronicsensor, integrated therein, and to a method of manufacturing a vehiclebody component to include an integrated electronic component.

BACKGROUND

Vehicle owners, and especially automobile, bicycle, recreationalvehicle, all-terrain vehicle (ATV), jet ski vehicle, and motorcycleowners, often customize the appearance of components of their vehiclesbeyond the offerings provided by original equipment manufacturers(OEMs). Customizing the appearance of components of a vehicle, such asbicycle frames, motorcycle tanks or fenders, automobile panels, bumpers,rockers, etc., adds a degree of individuality to the vehicle that isvalued by owners, especially when the vehicle model is broadly availableto the public. These customizations can differentiate the vehicle in aracing competition, indicate membership in an organization, indicate anofficial status such as a police officer, or simply express thepersonality or style of the vehicle owner to others. Despite the largenumber and variety of customizations available in the marketplace, a fewcommon customization characteristics are generally most valued byconsumers. The value added to a customized vehicle often lies with theextent of customization, the quality of the modification, the tools andskill set required to perform the customization, and the cost to theowner. Moreover, other important customization characteristicsconsidered by vehicle owners when attempting to customize their vehiclesis the amount of downtime that the vehicle must experience to performthe customization and whether the customization is a permanentmodification or a revisable modification of the vehicle. Owners valuethe time they have to use their vehicles, and so customizations thatrequire excessive downtime of the vehicle, i.e., that require thevehicle to be unusable for their intended purpose for a long period oftime during the customization process, are undesirable.

The most obvious and well-known manner of customizing the appearance ofa vehicle or of a vehicle body component, such as the front and backfenders, side panels, hood, rear, etc. of an automobile, is to repaintthe vehicle body components. In many cases, this type of customizationrequires the owner to disassemble the vehicle and apply a custom paintjob to the body components. The custom paint job may include a newshade, color or pattern of paint and/or may include artist designs, suchas depictions of animals, logos, stars, or other artistic renderings. Inorder to be of a high quality, custom paint jobs must typically beperformed by a professional, which can be cost prohibitive for manyvehicle owners. This type of customization also typically requiresexcessive downtime, because the vehicle needs to be disassembled, partsthereof must be sent to a professional to apply paint, and the vehiclemust be reassembled. To return the vehicle to the originalconfiguration, the owner would need to strip the paint from therepainted surfaces and have the original finish re-applied, which may ormay not be possible, and which again may be cost prohibitive.

Various other manners of customizing a vehicle or a component of avehicle have been developed in an attempt to reduce some of the problemsassociated with customized paint jobs. For example, a vehiclecustomization technique that has been developed uses preformed orpremade shell covers made of plastic or fiberglass that may be appliedover an original vehicle component and attached thereto with adhesive,for example. However, there are still numerous problems associated withthese types of shell covers or bolt-on parts. These types of parts aretypically made of plastic or fiberglass, which detracts from the look orfunction of the original vehicle component because in many cases theseshells or other parts must be constructed to be of unacceptablethickness to be sturdy enough for mounting on the vehicle. Inparticular, shell covers made of plastic or fiberglass must bemanufactured to be of a minimum thickness on the order of ¼ inches,which when applied over the original vehicle component, make the vehiclecomponent look unacceptably larger than the original, thereby detractingfrom the original design of the vehicle. Other vehicle component coverscannot be formed to match the shape or curves of the original vehiclecomponent on all sides thereof, again altering the look of the originaldesign of the vehicle in an unacceptable manner.

One technique for customizing a vehicle, such as an automobile, that isbecoming more common, is to replace vehicle body components, such asfenders, side panels, hoods, doors, etc., of the vehicle with carbonfiber components, or to make these vehicle components as carbon fibercomponents in the first place, with the carbon fiber components beingmade in the same shape as the original component or with a similar butdifferent shape to add a distinctive look to the vehicle body component.In other cases, carbon fiber body components may be manufactured andadded to a vehicle as an add-on part that is mounted over or ontoanother original body component of the vehicle. The use of carbon fiberas the underlying structural material of the body component typicallyresults in a lighter weight body part or component, that is actuallystronger than the material (e.g., metal, aluminum, fiberglass, etc.)commonly used to make vehicle body components. Moreover, carbon fiberbody parts have a distinctive look, as they generally appear, from adistance, as a single color, but include a weave pattern of carbon fiberstrips that is visible to a viewer at closer ranges. Advantageously,carbon fiber body components can also be painted and otherwisecustomized in typical manners. Because carbon fiber body parts aretypically thinner and lighter in weight than similar body parts made ofother common materials, carbon fiber body parts are used more and morecommonly in high performance vehicles, such as in race cars, high endstreet cars, etc.

Unfortunately, manufacturing carbon fiber body components is not an easyor highly automated process, and so is typically used sparingly instandard, mass marketed vehicles. In particular, to produce a carbonfiber body panel, a set of carbon fiber sheets (made of a weave ofcarbon fiber strips) are laid down on or over a mold in the shape of theexterior of the body component being formed. Typically, four or moresuch carbon fiber sheets are used and, in high quality applications, thecarbon fiber sheets are pre-impregnated with resin, typically at a 70/30ratio of carbon fiber to resin. In fact, it has been found that the useof carbon fiber sheets pre-impregnated with resin at a 70/30 ratioresults in the strongest carbon fiber component when the carbon fibercomponent is fully formed. While, in some cases, it is possible to laydown carbon fiber sheets that are not pre-impregnated with resin onto amold, and then flow resin through the sheets after these sheets havebeen place onto the mold, it is very difficult to control the carbonfiber/resin ratio in these cases, typically resulting in carbon fiberbody components with inferior strength properties.

It will be understood, however, that to produce a high quality carbonfiber component, the carbon fiber sheets need to be laid down as a sheetover the mold with no or only minimal creases, folds, etc. As such, themore curves that are in the mold, the smaller the radius of curvature ofthe curves in the mold, and the more complex curves that are in the moldmake it harder and harder to lay down the carbon fiber sheets in amanner that does not result in folds, creases, etc. within the sheets.While the sheets can be stretched a bit in order to accommodate curvesin the mold, in some cases, the sheets must be cut to be adjusted to thecurves of the mold so as to prevent folds or creases in the sheets andto make the fiber weave of the sheets look continuous or nearlycontinuous over, in, or through the curves of the mold. This processrequires a skilled manufacturer in cases in which the molds have complexor tight curves.

In any event, after the sheets are laid down onto the mold, and theresin is added (either through the pre-impregnation of the sheets or viaflowing resin through the sheets after being laid down over the mold),the carbon fiber sheets and the mold are wrapped and sealed in plastic(such as in a sealed plastic bag). Thereafter air and other gases areremoved from the bag by, for example, a vacuum evacuation process thatremoves all or most of the air and other gases from the inside of thesealed bag to thereby vacuum seal the interior of the bag.

Next, the entire assembly of the mold, sheets, resin, and sealed bag iscured to form a hardened carbon fiber component. The curing can beperformed using heat and/or high pressure. In particular, the assemblymay be placed into an oven and/or into an autoclave, such as ahyperbaric chamber, where it is subjected to heat (in the oven) or toincreased pressure (produced within the hyperbaric chamber of theautoclave). In either case, the assembly is heated and/or pressurized tocure the resin around the carbon fiber sheets to thereby harden theresin into a solid component with the carbon fiber sheets disposedtherein. Moreover, when an autoclave is used, the pressure within thehyperbaric chamber forces the resin to come out of the carbon fibersheets and to flow down towards the surface of the mold. The heat and/orpressure simultaneously bakes the resin which eventually hardens into astiff or solid material with the carbon fiber sheets therein providingstrength to the final component. Once baked or cured, the component hasan exterior layer of (typically clear) resin formed over or on top ofthe carbon fiber sheets which are still disposed within the hardenedresin at the back side of the component. When the resin cures as a clearsubstance, the carbon fiber weave of the topmost carbon fiber sheet istypically visible through the hardened resin, providing a distinctivelook to the component, while the carbon fiber sheets give superiorstrength characteristics to the final component.

While vehicle components customization has been generally an individualpursuit, OEMs are increasingly offering vehicle customizations todifferentiate one make of a vehicle from a competitor. For example,another manner of customizing a vehicle without changing an overallshape or method of manufacturing the vehicle is by changing the designof the headlights and other exterior and interior lighting features ofthe car. For example, a vehicle customization technique offered by someOEMs is to change interior lighting features and visual effects of brakelights, headlights, dashboard lights, and internal car lights. In somecases, additional lights or lighting features are added to the vehicle,such as beneath the frame, around the license plates, etc. However, suchcustomizations are largely limited to altering previously-installedlighting components or mounting additional light fixtures on or to theexterior of the vehicle.

SUMMARY

A vehicle body component is formed or manufactured to include anelectronic component, such as an electronic light, an electronic sensor,an electronic graphical display screen, etc., integrated therein inorder to provide a highly customized look to the component or to providea highly customized functionality to the component, or to the vehicle onwhich the component is mounted, while being integrated into the vehiclebody component in a manner that enables the component to have a smoothsurface, with no visible or tactile creases, lines, folds, gaps, etc. Insome cases, the integrated feature may be a lighted feature having alight disposed to provide or to illuminate a graphical design visiblefrom an exterior side of the body component, to thereby change theappearance of the component or the vehicle on which the component isinstalled, such as an automobile, a bicycle, etc. The body component maybe a component that is permanently installed as a vehicle body part, orthat is permanently or non-permanently installed over an existingvehicle body part. In other cases, the integrated electronic componentmay include an electronic component in the form of a sensor thatprovides added functionality, such as sensing a fingerprint, sensingexterior or ambient conditions of the vehicle, sensing touches to thevehicle, etc., and this sensor can be used to provide additionalfunctionality to the vehicle (such as providing a touch sensitivelocking or unlocking mechanism, detecting water or other liquids on thesurface of the body component, etc.), all while being nearlyundetectable to the touch, and thus providing a clear smooth anduninterrupted surface of the vehicle body component.

In one case, the vehicle component may be made by depositing one or morelayers, such as four layers, of a composite material, such as resinpre-impregnated sheets of a carbon fiber weave, to a mold in the shapeof a body part to be manufactured, while integrating an electroniccomponent, such as a light, a lighting material, and/or an electronicsensor, in between two or more of the layers of composite material orwithin the various layers of the composite material. A recess, such as avoid, may be cut into or formed into one or more of the layers ofmaterial and the electronic component may be disposed into the void. Ifdesired, a lens may also be disposed within or placed into the void sothat the light or sensor lies behind the lens when viewed from theexterior side of the component being formed. The lens may be colored,clear, or may have different areas of transparent, semi-transparent,opaque, or even non-light conducting areas that filter or propagatelight in different manners to thereby create a design or other visuallighted display. One or more filters may be placed within the lens orbetween the lens and the light to provide additional design features,such as different colors, patterns, etc., to the graphical image ordesign.

In one case, the electronic component is a lighted component, such as alight emitting diode (LED) light source, an incandescent light bulb, aneon light bulb, an electroluminescent tape, an electronic digitaldisplay such as an organic light emitting diode display (an OLEDdisplay), etc. Moreover, the vehicle body component may be made as acarbon fiber component which is formed to include a lighted designtherein or in which a lighted design is integrated within the carbonfiber component. As an example, a particular lighted design may beformed as a recess, such as a void, directly into first and secondlayers (for example) of carbon fiber sheets used to create the vehiclebody component, and a lighting feature may be placed into the void sothat the lighting feature is seamlessly incorporated with the vehiclebody component after curing of the carbon fiber sheets. In some cases,the lighting feature may include a lens that is placed in the void inthe shape of a particular design, with an electronically energized lightor lighted component disposed behind the lens. In these cases, thevisual effect created by the lighting feature may be changed oraccomplished by controlling the lighting effects produced by the lens,by adding filters to the lens, or behind the lens to change the colorand/or visual effects of the light traveling through the lens, and byincorporating various different types of lighting devices to producedifferent visual effects. Moreover, different visual effects may becreated by energizing the lighting feature in different manners, such asby blinking or strobing the light, sending one or more different imagesto a lighting feature in the form of a digital display, changing theintensity of the light emitted by the light, etc.

Additionally, in other cases, lights, lighting features, and/or sensorsmay be incorporated into or formed into various layers of a compositematerial, such as carbon fiber sheets, prior to the material being curedor hardened, and these lights, lighting features, and/or sensors may beconnected to one or more electrical or control systems of the vehicle toprovide certain functions for the vehicle, such as indicating aturn-signal, automatically illuminating the lighting material in darkenvironments, activating an alarm, detecting an unlocking command via afingerprint sensor, etc.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1A illustrates an example vehicle body with integrated electroniccomponents in the form of lights and sensors disposed within variousones of vehicle body components of the vehicle body.

FIG. 1B illustrates a cross-sectional view of an embodiment of one ofthe electronic components of FIG. 1A in the form of an electroniclighting feature.

FIG. 1C illustrates a cross-sectional view of another embodiment of oneof the electronic components of FIG. 1A in the form of an electroniclighting feature with a lens.

FIG. 1D illustrates a cross-sectional view of an embodiment of one ofthe electronic components of FIG. 1A in the form of an electronic sensorcomponent.

FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram of one process or method for manufacturinga vehicle body component with electronic lighting or electronic sensorcomponents integrated therein.

FIG. 3 is an exploded view of one example of assembling a vehicle bodycomponent with a lighting material or component integrated therein.

FIG. 4A is cross-sectional view of a first example of a layered assemblyof a vehicle body component with an integrated lighting material orcomponent prior to curing.

FIG. 4B is a cross-sectional view of the vehicle component of FIG. 4Aafter curing.

FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view of a second example of a vehicle bodycomponent having an integrated lighting component.

FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional view of a third example of a vehicle bodycomponent with an integrated lighting component that is shaped to acontoured mold.

FIG. 7 is a cross-sectional view of a fourth example of a vehicle bodycomponent with a removable electronic lighting device disposed in thevehicle body component.

FIG. 8 is a cross-sectional view of the vehicle body component of FIG. 7with the removable lighting device removed from the vehicle bodycomponent.

FIG. 9 is a cross-sectional view of a fifth example of a vehicle bodycomponent with a removable lighting device.

FIG. 10 is a cross-sectional view of the vehicle body component of FIG.8 with a removable lighting device having a filter.

FIG. 11 is a front partial view of an example of a finished vehicle bodycomponent with an integrated electronic lighting component.

FIG. 12 illustrates a top view of a layer of pre-impregnated compositematerial and a lens design to be disposed in the pre-impregnatedcomposite material.

FIG. 13 illustrates the lens disposed within the layer ofpre-impregnated composite material of FIG. 12.

FIGS. 14A-14F illustrate partial views of different examples of finishedvehicle body components with various integrated lighting components.

FIG. 15 is a front view of an example of a finished vehicle bodycomponent having another integrated electronic lighting component in theform of an electronic display disposed therein.

FIG. 16 illustrates an example bike frame with integrated electroniclighting components.

FIG. 17 illustrates an example vehicle body with integrated tubularlighting components disposed within various ones of vehicle bodycomponents of the vehicle body.

FIG. 18 illustrates an example arrangement of a tubular lightingcomponent.

FIG. 19 illustrates a different example arrangement of a tubularlighting component.

FIG. 20A illustrates a partial cross-sectional view of a vehicle bodycomponent with one of the tubular lighting components of FIG. 17integrated with the vehicle body component.

FIG. 20B illustrates a cross-sectional view of the vehicle bodycomponent with the integrated tubular lighting component taken at A-A ofFIG. 20A.

FIG. 21 illustrates an exploded view of one example of assembling avehicle body component with a tubular lighting component therein.

FIG. 22 illustrates a partially exploded view of a vehicle bodycomponent and a tubular lighting component.

FIG. 23 illustrates a partial cross-sectional view of the vehicle bodycomponent and tubular lighting component of FIG. 22.

FIG. 24 illustrates an example vehicle body with various integratedelectronic components that are disposed within various ones of vehiclebody components and that are connected via an integrated wired bus.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

FIG. 1A illustrates a customized vehicle body 10, specifically in theform of a two-door automobile body, having different visual lighting andsensor features 14 integrated into different vehicle body components ofthe vehicle body 10. The vehicle body components of the vehicle body 10may be custom-manufactured body parts, such as a bumper 18, a rocker 22,a splitter 26, front and back fenders 30, 34, a car door 38, a hood 42,and a roof 46; or the vehicle body components may be shells or otheraftermarket attachments, such as a spoiler 50, that are mounted on orover existing body components of the vehicle body 10. The integratedelectronic features 14 may provide or display a visual or artisticdesign using, for example, light sources, lighting materials, orelectroluminescent materials that are energized in a manner explained ingreater detail below. In this case, the visual or artistic design mayinclude a particular color and/or pattern of colors that are visiblefrom the exterior surfaces of the vehicle body 10, and may also orinstead include an artistic rendering of some kind, such as one or morelogos, words, signs, symbols, mascots, visual themes, animals, or otherartistic renderings. Still further, the integrated electronic features14 may provide or include a digital display, such as an OLED displaythat may be energized to provide different visual images or othereffects that are visible from the exterior of the body 10. Theintegrated electronic components 14 may be a light source, such as anLED, or the electronic component may interact with a light source, toprovide a visual lighting effect, such as a fiber optic tubeilluminating when it interacts with an LED, for example.

In still other cases, the integrated electronic features 14 may includea computer chip, an antennae, or electronic sensors of various typesthat sense various parameters, conditions, stimuli, physical phenomena,etc. present at the exterior of the vehicle body 10. In some cases, forexample, the electronic sensors may include a fingerprint sensor, acapacitive or other touch sensor, a light sensor, proximity sensor,image recognition sensor, fingerprint recognition sensor, a pressuresensor, an infrared sensor, a temperature sensor, a liquid sensor, acrash sensor, an integrity sensor (e.g. a yaw sensor for drivingassistance or a strain gauge for structural monitoring) etc., to sensestimuli or other physical elements on the exterior of the vehicle body10 at or near the location of the sensor. While not shown explicitly inFIG. 1A, the electronic components or features 14 may be electronicallyconnected to one or more energization or power circuits 60 (depicted indashed lines in FIG. 1A) such as a vehicle battery, a stand-alonebattery, a solar cell, etc., which power the electronic components.Moreover, the electronic components or features 14 may be connected toand may be controlled by one or more control circuits 62 (depicted indashed lines in FIG. 1A) which operate to control the electronicfeatures 14 in various different manners depending on the type of andthe use of the electronic features 14. In some cases, the electronicfeatures 14 may be connected to one or more existing control circuits ofthe vehicle 10, such as to turn signal energization circuits, lockingand unlocking circuits, alarm circuits, headlight, running light, taillight, etc. circuits, battery circuits, etc., of the vehicle 10. Inthese cases, the electronic features 14 may be energized and may operatein conjunction with these circuits to perform various functionalitiesassociated with these circuits including, for example, providing lightsor lighted designs at the exterior of the vehicle, sensing inputs forthese circuits, such as touch inputs to open doors, unlock doors, rolldown windows, turn on or off alarms, etc.

In other cases, the electronic features 14 may be connected to standalone or separate circuits and thus, may operate independently of theother circuits of the vehicle 10. In some cases, for example, theelectronic features 14 may be lights or lighted features connected to aseparate battery or other energization circuit which energizes the lightor lighted feature all of the time, during low light conditions,intermittently, in response to exterior stimuli, etc. In still othercases, one or more of the electronic features 14 may be a solar panel ora solar cell that collects and stores energy for powering other ones ofthe electronic features 14 or for powering a light or other electroniccomponent of the same electronic feature 14. In another case, one of theelectronic features 14 may include a chipboard with one or moreconnected electronic devices (e.g. a light feature, sensor, a keyboard,a processor, or a combination of the electronic devices).

In the example vehicle of FIG. 1A, the vehicle body 10 includesdifferent lighting features 14 that display a particular design byincorporating lighting material 16 built into, or integrated with, abody component of the vehicle body 10. The lighting material 16 isconfigured to electrically connect to a power source hidden fromexternal view, such as a battery or the electrical system of thevehicle, and is integrated into the vehicle body component made of, forexample, a composite material so that each vehicle body component has asmooth exterior surface. For example, the roof 46 of the vehicle body 10of FIG. 1A may be manufactured by the OEM or may be a shell configuredto attach to an existing roof of the vehicle body 10. The lightingfeature 14 of the roof 46 includes, in the example of FIG. 1A, an arrowdesign 52 that may be illuminated when the lighting material 16 of thelighting feature 14 of the roof 46 is energized. In other examples, thefront fender 30 is customized to include a circular lighting design 54,and the spoiler 50 is customized to include a strip of round lights 58.As used herein, the term “lighting feature” may include the lightingmaterial (e.g. an LED, fiber optic tube, an electronic display, a stripof electroluminescent tape, etc.), and may, in some cases, include afilter and a lens, all configured to form a lighted design. The terms“light” and “lighting material” refer to any material with or without alight source that contributes to the overall lighting feature of thevehicle component.

Still further, in one example, one of the electronic features 14 on, forexample, the door body component 38, is an electronic touch sensorcomponent that detects a touch event on the exterior of the door bodycomponent 38. This touch sensor component may be used as part of a touchpad having various numbers thereon to enable a user to enter a code tolock or unlock the door of the vehicle, to read a fingerprint of theuser to lock or unlock the door of the vehicle, etc. Of course othersensors, such as any of those mentioned above may be used as part of anyof the electronic features 14, including light sensors, solar panels orsolar cells, pressure sensors, capacitive sensors, etc., and theseelectronic sensors may be used for any of various functionalities, suchas turning on or off lights or lighted features, setting off ordisabling electronic alarms, locking or unlocking doors, opening orclosing windows, etc.

FIG. 1B illustrates a cross-sectional view of an integrated electroniccomponent 80 which may be one of the electronic features 14 of FIG. 1Aand which, in this case, is in the form of a simple electronic light. Asillustrated in FIG. 1B, the integrated electronic component 80 of FIG.1B may provide or display a lighted visual or lighted artistic design atthe exterior (in this case at the top edge as depicted in FIG. 1B) ofthe component 80. In particular, the element 80 of FIG. 1B is in theform of a carbon fiber component having a cured layer of resin 82 formedover four layers or sheets 84 of carbon fiber weave. As will beunderstood, the resin layer 82, is made of resin that, when baked underheat and/or pressure during the curing process, flowed frompre-impregnated sheets of carbon fiber 84 to form the outer layer of thecomponent 80. More particularly, the resin layer 82 forms a smooth outersurface 85 of the component 80 with no seams, gaps, or creases therein.Moreover, the component 80 includes an electronic light 86, which may bean LED, an incandescent light, a CFL light bulb, a neon light bulb, aflorescent light bulb, etc. In other cases, the electronic light 86 maybe an electroluminescent tape, or may be any other light source thatemits light when an electrical voltage is applied across the element orwhen an electrical current is applied through the element. Asillustrated in FIG. 1B, the light component 86 may be disposed in arecess, such as a void, within the resin layer 82 and/or one or more ofthe carbon fiber layers 84. Moreover, a set of wires or other electronicenergization leads 88 that connect the electronic light 86 to a sourceof energization (not shown in FIG. 1B) and may be fed through ordisposed between two of the carbon fiber layers or sheets 84 and may, atsome point, exit from the component 80 such as from the back of thecomponent 80 to connect to a source of energization, to a controlcircuit, etc. The leads 88 may be two or more leads depending on thetype of light source 86 and circuit. In the case of FIG. 1B, the lightwaves which are created by the light source 86 when energized, may exitfrom the component 80 through the resin layer 82 and be visible from theexterior of the component 80. The light 86 may be formed to emit aparticular color or type of light and/or the light 86 may be formed in aparticular pattern or design to emit that design through the resin layer82. For example, the light 86 may be a neon bulb that forms a design orword that is visible from the exterior of the component.

As another example, FIG. 1C illustrates a component 90 that is similarto the component 80 of FIG. 1B with like elements having the samereference numbers. In this case, the lighting feature includes a lens 92disposed between the light source 86 and the resin layer 82. The lens 92may provide different visual lighting effects when used in conjunctionwith the light source 86. For example, the lens 92 may be etched orformed to be or to have different areas that have varying degrees oftranslucent, opaque, transmissive, etc. properties. The lens 92 may beflat, curved, oval, etc. and may be of any desired shape to form anydesired lighted design. The lens 92 may be any degree of thick or thin,and may be used to define the outline or edges of a design or lighteddesign to be illuminated at the exterior of the body component 90. Thelens 92 may be formed in the shape of a design to be lighted and/or mayhave an, inner and/or outer surface that is etched, colored, orotherwise, formed to emit light in a particular pattern, color, design,etc. Moreover, the light source 86 of FIG. 1C may be any desired type oflight source that may be used with the lens 92 to emit a pattern orcolor or other design. For the sake of illustration, the body component90 is illustrated as including five layers of carbon fiber sheets 84 toindicate that any number of carbon fiber sheets (e.g., from one to ten,for example), may be used to produce the body component 90. Stillfurther, the leads 88 from the light source 86 are illustrated as beingdisposed between the second and third layers of carbon fiber sheets 84for a short distance and then exit the back of the component 90 viaholes in the third, fourth, and fifth layers of the carbon fiber sheets84.

Still further, FIG. 1D illustrates a component 95 that includes a sensor96 disposed in a recess, such as a void, within the component 95. Inthis case, the sensor 96 may be any type of sensor, such as a capacitivesensor, a touch sensor, a fingerprint sensor, a solar cell, a lightsensor, etc. Still further, the sensor 96 may be disposed behind orwithin a lens or other enclosure (not shown in FIG. 1D), or may beformed to contact and/or to be at least partially within the resin layer82. Of course, electronic leads 98 may be connected to the sensor 96 andmay be disposed between two of the carbon fiber layers 84 and/or mayexit through a hole or other cut-away within the carbon fiber layers 84directly behind the sensor 96 as illustrated in FIG. 1D. These leads 98may connect the sensor 96 to a control circuit and/or to an energizationcircuit, such as the circuits 60 and 62 of FIG. 1A. Instead of a singlesensor, a chipboard may be disposed in the void within the component 95with a plurality of electronic devices attached and/or in communicationwith the chipboard.

An example method 100 or process of manufacturing a customized vehiclecomponent having integrated electronic components or features 14, suchas any one of the vehicle body components illustrated in FIG. 1A, isdepicted in a schematic diagram in FIG. 2. Generally speaking, themethod 100 includes three main phases: an assembly phase 104, a vacuumphase 160, and a curing phase 170, and will be described in conjunctionwith manufacturing a carbon fiber body component. (However, similarmethod steps could be used to manufacture other types of composite bodycomponents, including Kevlar body components, fiberglass bodycomponents, etc.) The assembly phase 104 of the example method of FIG. 2includes steps 110, 120, 130, 140, and 150 and will be described indetail and with reference to FIG. 3, which is an exploded layeredassembly 200 for manufacturing a car hood 42 of FIG. 1A with a lightedfeature 14. The vacuum and curing phases 160, 170 may include knownmethods and techniques for finishing the vehicle component so that thecomponent is ready for market.

In FIG. 2, the assembly phase 104 initially includes a step 110 ofproviding a mold 202 (FIG. 3) of a vehicle component, which in this caseis a hood of an automobile body, where the mold 202 includes a contouredinterior side 206 and may be coated with a wax or non-stick coating sothat the pre-impregnated composite material does not bond or stick tothe mold 202 during the curing step 170. Further, the method of FIG. 2includes a step 120 of adding first and second layers 210, 214 ofpre-impregnated composite material, such as pre-impregnated carbon fiber(shown in FIG. 3), to the interior side 206 of the mold 202. Inparticular, a first layer 210 of pre-impregnated composite material(e.g., a sheet of carbon fiber weave pre-impregnated with resinpreferably at a 70/30 fiber/resin ratio) with a top side 218 a and aback side 218 b is added to the interior side 206 of the mold 202, wherethe top side 218 a of the first layer 210 is adjacent to the interiorside 206 of the mold 202. A second layer 214 of pre-impregnatedcomposite material (a sheet of carbon fiber weave) with a top side 222 aand a back side 222 b is added to or on top of the first layer 210, sothat the top side 222 a of the second layer 214 is adjacent to the backside 218 b of the first layer 210. The composite material (carbon fiberweave) may be configured to flex, bend, and fold to permit each layer210, 214 to lay onto the interior side 206 of the mold 202 and bend witheach contour. Applying heat to the layers 210, 214 may allow the layersto “give” easily and better form to surfaces of the mold 202 with morecontours. Typically, each layer of pre-impregnated carbon fiber may havea top side and a back side, and the top side typically includes a filmcoating and the back side typically includes a fabric side. As usedherein, the term “top side” when referring to a pre-impregnatedcomposite material may refer to the top film side of the material if thematerial includes both the film side and fabric side.

The method 100 may include an additional step of removing a portion ofthe first layer 210 in a shape of a design or other feature and removinga portion of the second layer 214 in the shape of the same design orother feature. As shown in FIG. 3, the first layer 210 and the secondlayer 214 each have a portion removed from the layer forming a recess,such as a void 226, 228, in the shape of an oval design, and the void226, 228 in each layer 210, 214 may be removed prior to the step 120(FIG. 2) of adding the layers to the mold 202. Alternatively, the stepof removing a portion of the first layer 210 and the second layer 214may be performed after the first and second layers 210, 214 are added tothe mold 202, for example, when the layers 210, 214 are stacked. A lasercutter, a water jet cutter, and/or a Computer Numeric Control (CNC)machine with a cutting tool may be programmed to cut each void 226, 228in the shape of the design in each layer 210, 214. Each of the voids226, 228 includes an outer edge 230, 232 of the pre-impregnatedcomposite material layer 210, 214 that aligns with the outer edge 232,230 of the adjacent layer 214, 210 to form a design void. The designrecess is the outline of the desired shape of the lighting featuredesign and provides a compartment to hold the lighting material withinthe vehicle body component. The design recess is formed when the firstand second layers 210, 214 are stacked such that the outer edge 230 ofthe first layer 210 is adjacent to the outer edge 232 of the secondlayer 214, or when the back side 218 b of the first layer 210 isadjacent to the top side 222 a of the second layer 214. The designrecess is defined by the adjacent outer edges 230, 232, which form adesign wall extending between the top side 218 a of the first layer 210and the back side 222 b of the second layer 214. The design wallencloses the design recess, and therefore the lighting material, withinthe vehicle component body.

Optionally, the method 100 may include a step 130 (FIG. 2) of insertinga pre-cut lens 236 into the design recess formed in the first and secondlayers 210, 214. Inserting the lens 236 includes inserting a top portion240 of the pre-cut lens 236 into the design recess such that an outeredge 244 of the top portion 240 corresponds to the design shape of thedesign wall. The outer edge 244 of the lens 236 is configured to engagethe design wall and the top portion 240 is configured to fit entirelywithin the design recess such that the outer edge 244 of the lens 236and the design wall are immediately adjacent to one another withoutintervening gaps between the abutting surfaces. The lens 236 includes alip 248 that extends outwardly from the outer edge 244 and is configuredto abut against a portion 252 (shown in dashed lines) of the back side222 b of the second layer 214 that surrounds the void 228. The lip 248is configured to hold the lens 236 within the design recess and tosuspend the lens 236 adjacent to the interior side 206 of the mold 202without falling through the void 228. As will be described in detailbelow, modifying and customizing the lens 236 may enhance or providecertain design features, details, colors, opacities, and/or variationsin light brilliance to the visual effect of the lighting feature. Thelens may be manufactured individually or in bulk, and may be sizedaccording to the desired thickness of the finished vehicle component sothat the lens does not protrude through the outer surface after thecomponent is cured. Other example methods of manufacturing a vehiclecomponent may omit the step 130 of inserting a lens 236 because the lens236 may inhibit the functionality of a sensor, for example, atouch-sensitive sensor. In this case, a protective membrane may beinserted instead of a rigid lens or no intervening material may be used.

The assembly phase 104 further includes a step 140 (FIG. 2) of placing alighting material within the design recess, where the lighting materialis configured to illuminate within the design recess when powered. Thestep 140 may include providing a light emitting diode (LED), a touchscreen, an LCD screen, a phosphor crystals lighting device, and/or otherknown lighting devices or light sources into the design recess formed inthe first and second layers 210, 214. The lighting material 256 may fitcompletely within the design recess, or the lighting material 256 mayprotrude beyond the back side 222 b of the second layer 214, as shown inmore detail in FIGS. 4A and 4B. The step 140 of inserting the lightingmaterial 256 may include providing wiring 260 with a first end 262connected to the lighting material 256 and a second end 264 configuredto connect the lighting material 256 to a power source, a controlcircuit, etc. The step 140 of placing the lighting material 256 may beperformed after the second layer 214 is added without including the step130 of inserting a lens 236, or the step 140 may be performedsubsequently to inserting the lens 236 into the design recess. Inanother example of a vehicle component, the design recess may be shapedto an outer dimension, such as a circumference, of the lighting materialsuch that the lighting material is flush with or engages the designwall. In this case, a lens may not be necessary to achieve the desiredvisual effect that can be achieved with, for example, an LED of asuitable size, color, and brilliance.

The step 140 previously described may be performed by also placing achipboard and/or a sensor into the design recess with, or instead of,the lighting material 256. A vehicle component with an integratedchipboard or sensor may provide a number of desirable functionalitiesaccessible to an exterior surface of the car. For example, a car doorhaving an integrated touch sensor may be visibly undetectable, but mayprovide a user with the ability to open a car door or turn the ignitionon by simply pressing a spot on the exterior of the car door to activatethe sensor. In the figures, a sensor may be incorporated instead of alighting material 256, where the sensor may have a front side that isactivated by a stimulus and a back side that is electrically connectedto wiring. Thus, rather than incorporate lighting material into a bodyof a vehicle component, the vehicle component may be manufactured toinclude an integrated sensing mechanism. For example, a photoelectricsensor that is integrated into a bicycle frame may turn on a lightingfeature of the bicycle and/or lighting material integrated into thebicycle frame, when the bicycle is in a dark environment. In anotherexample, a motion sensor may be integrated into a car door and carpaneling to sense when someone or something is approaching the car andmay activate lighting or an alarm to alert the vehicle owner. In yetanother example, a sensor and a lighting feature may be placed within adesign cavity and configured to be electrically connected such that ifthe sensor detects that someone or something is approaching the vehicle,then the processor on the chipboard may turn on the integrated lightingmaterial. The step 140 may also or instead include integrating one ormore chip boards or processors or other electronic components into oneor a number of different vehicle body components.

In any event, the assembly phase 104 (FIG. 2) includes a step 150 ofadding a third layer 268 of pre-impregnated composite material and ofadding a fourth layer 272 of pre-impregnated composite material. Thethird layer 268, which includes a top side 276 a and a back side 276 b,is added to the back side 222 b of the second layer 214. A portion ofthe top side 276 a of the third layer 268 is adjacent to the lightingmaterial 256, providing a lighting material backing and enclosing thelighting material 256 within the design recess. The third layer 268 mayprovide a visually solid background to the feature 14 such that when thelighting material 256 is not illuminated, the composite material of thethird layer 268 is visible through the design recess of the vehicle bodycomponent. Similarly if a sensing mechanism is incorporated, the thirdlayer 268 helps to camouflage the sensor and/or chipboard, as describedabove, with the solid background of the composite material. The step 150also, in this case, includes adding a fourth layer 272 ofpre-impregnated composite material to the back side 276 b of the thirdlayer 268. The fourth layer 272 includes a top side 280 a and a backside 280 b, where the top side 280 a of the fourth layer 272 is adjacentto the back side 276 b of the third layer 268, and the back side 276 bmay provide an inside surface of the finished vehicle component.

The assembly phase 104 of the method 100 may include additional or fewersteps than depicted in FIG. 2, and accordingly, the term “layeredassembly” as used herein includes the first, second, third, and fourthlayers of pre-impregnated composite material, a chipboard, lightingmaterial, and/or sensor, and/or a mold. A “layered assembly” may alsorefer to the exploded assembly 200 of FIG. 3 which additionally includeswiring 260 connected to the lighting material 256 and a pre-cut lens236. In another method, the design recess may not be formed in the firstand second layers of pre-impregnated woven material. Instead, the lensand lighting material and/or sensor may be provided between the secondand third continuous carbon fiber sheets. After curing, the lens andportions of the first and second layers of carbon fiber sheets adjacentto the lens may form a protrusion, or uneven surface, that maysubsequently be filed down by a cutting machine or sander to provide asmooth outer vehicle component surface. In yet another method, thedesign recess may be non-flat structure, such as an indent or a grooveshaped to receive and hold the electronic component. The design recessmay be formed around the electronic component during manufacturing, orthe recess may be formed by forming the carbon fiber sheets in a mannerto create the desired size and shape of the design recess.

Other features, such as a lens filter, a spacer piece, additional layersof pre-impregnated composite material, Nomex honeycomb material, andother materials may be added to change the visual appearance and/orstrength of the vehicle body component being manufactured, and thereforemay also be considered as components of the “layered assembly.”Moreover, prior to the final two phases of the method 100, a releasefilm and a breather cloth may be added to outer layer of the layeredassembly, such as the backside 276 b of the fourth layer 272. Therelease film and breather cloth protect the layered assembly and absorbexcess emissions released from the composite material during the curingphase 170.

It will be understood that the assembly process or assembly phase 104described herein is described as using exactly four sheets of compositematerial (in this case sheets of pre-impregnated carbon fiber weave)with two of these sheets being cut to form a void around the chipboard,light source, or sensor element. However, any number of sheets or layersof material may be used, including one, two, three, five, or even moresheets. Moreover, any number of these sheets can be cut or used to formthe void and any other number can be used to be placed over the back ofthe void after the chipboard, lighting material, sensor, etc. is placedinto the void. In some cases (such as when the lighting material,chipboard, or sensor is very thin), it may not be necessary to cut anyof the sheets to form a void, and instead a recess may be in the shapeof an indentation or groove. When using carbon fiber sheets, four sheetsis preferred for sufficient strength while minimizing thickness andweight. However, any number of sheets could be used, with the moresheets being used typically providing more strength to the final bodycomponent.

As mentioned previously, the vacuuming and curing steps 160, 170 of themethod or process 100 may include known techniques and practices toprofessionally and efficiently finish a component and prepare thecomponent for use. These steps 160, 170 remove any air gaps between eachlayer of pre-impregnated composite material and evenly shape the layersto the mold 202. Specifically, the layered assembly 200 is placed into asealed plastic bag and connected to a vacuum such that the air gaps inthe bag and between the different layers of the layered assembly areremoved. During the curing step 170, the layered assembly 200 may beformed into the finished vehicle component by pressure treatment, heattreatment, or a combination of applied pressure and heat treatment.Under applied heat and/or pressure, a resin of the reinforced compositematerial liquefies and is drawn to the interior side 206 of the mold202, and is generally evenly distributed around the top side 218 a ofthe first layer 210. In one example, the vacuum sealed assembly may beplaced in an oven or an autoclave and may be baked such that the first210, second 214, third 268, and fourth 272 layers of pre-impregnatedcomposite material cure to the shape of the interior side 206 of themold 202, forming an integrated component having an integrated lightingfeature and smooth exterior surface. The sealed assembly may be bakedfor up to eight hours at a temperature range of 85° C. to 140° C., andpreferably for four to six hours at 100° C. Alternatively, the curingstep 170 may include placing the layered assembly 200 in a high-pressurechamber of an autoclave, such as a hyperbaric chamber. For finishing, aclear coat may be added to the exterior surface of the component for UVprotection.

As previously discussed, a number of different vehicle components may bemade according to the example method 100 of FIG. 2, and FIGS. 4A-16illustrate examples of vehicle components with integrated electroniccomponents using various techniques to achieve different visual results.The following examples may be manufactured according to the examplemethod 100, alternative methods previously described, and other methodsdescribed herein. Turning first to FIG. 4A, a layered assembly 300 isillustrated before being vacuum sealed and cured, and includes first210, second 214, third 268, and fourth 272 layers of pre-impregnatedcomposite material, a lens 236, a lighting material 318 disposed withina design recess, such as a void 314, and wiring 260 connected to thelighting material or light source 318. FIG. 4B illustrates a vehiclecomponent 304 formed after vacuum sealing and curing the layeredassembly 300 of FIG. 4A. After curing, the first 210, second 214, third268, and fourth 272 layers of pre-impregnated composite material combineto form a solid body 306 having a plurality of bonded layers. The body306 includes an exterior surface 308 adjacent to the top side 218 a ofthe first layer 210, an interior surface 310 adjacent to the back side280 b of the fourth layer 272, and a design recess such as a void 314,formed in the first and second layers 210, 214. The lighting material318 is located within the design recess 314 and between the third andthe fourth layers 268, 272 of composite material and the exteriorsurface 308 of the body. Specifically, the lighting material 318 isillustrated as an LED light that slightly protrudes beyond the back side222 b of the second layer 214, and is enclosed between the third layer268 and the lens 236. The LED light 318 is electrically connected to adedicated set of wires 260 at a first end 262 of the wiring 260, and thesecond end 264 of the dedicated set of wires 260 is located externallyfrom the body 306 and is configured to connect to a power source. Asillustrated in FIGS. 4A-4B, the wires 260 are disposed between thesecond and third layers 214, 268 of pre-impregnated composite material,and specifically between the back side 222 b of the second layer 214 andthe top side 276 a of the third layer 268. The lens 236 is configured todiffuse light emitted from the LED 318, and is located within the designrecess 314 such that an exterior side 322 of the lens 236 is coplanarwith the top side 218 a of the first layer 210. The exterior side 322 isconnected to the top portion 240 of the lens 236 and is disposedperpendicularly relative to the outer edge 244. The outer edge 244 ofthe top portion 240 of the lens 236 is disposed directly adjacent to adesign wall 326 of the design recess 314 so there are no gaps or airpockets between the design wall 326 and the top portion 240 of the lens236. The lip 248 of the pre-cut lens 236 is disposed between the secondand third layers 214, 268 of the body 306 so that the placement of lens236 remains within the design recess 314 during curing.

Comparing FIGS. 4A and 4B, a plurality of air gaps 330 between the first210, second 214, third 268, and fourth 272 layers, and lighting material318 are removed during the vacuum step 160 to force the layers 210, 214,268 and 272 to become densely packed together. The resin infused withinthe pre-impregnated composite material liquefies during the curing step170 and seeps toward the mold such that the resin forms a smoothexterior protective surface 308, as shown in FIG. 4B. The overallthickness of the cured assembly 304 is reduced, as well. For theprotrusions or uneven surfaces formed by the third and fourth layers268, 278 over the LED light 318, a sander or cutting machine may be usedto smooth the interior surface 310 of the vehicle component.

FIG. 5 illustrates a second exemplary vehicle component 400 after beingformed and cured, and includes a body 404 made of a first 408, second412, third 416, and fourth 420 layers of composite material. A lens 424is disposed within a design recess, such as a void 428, formed in thefirst and second layers 408, 412 and a lighting material 432 is disposedin the design recess 428 between the lens 424 and the third and fourthlayers 416, 420 of composite material. An outer layer of resin 434 isformed over the layer 408 and the lens 424. In comparison to thelighting material 318 of the vehicle component 304 of FIG. 4B, thelighting material 432 in FIG. 5 is flat strip of lighting material, suchas electroluminescent tape or a phosphor crystals lighting device, thatis connected to wiring 436 at a first end 440 of the wiring 436. Thewiring 436 is disposed through a bore 444 formed in each of the thirdand fourth layers 416, 420 of composite material so that a second end448 of the wiring 436 may be connected to a power source locatedexternally to the body 404 of the vehicle component 400. The bore 444may be formed prior to laying down the third and fourth layers 416, 420of composite material during the assembly phase 104, or may be formedafter the third and fourth layers 416, 420 are added to the second layer412 during the assembly phase 104. Moreover, if desired, the wires ofthe wiring 436 may terminate at a connection element, such as anelectrical connector (not shown in FIG. 5), which may be disposed in ormounted to the layer 420. This connection element may accept a furtherelectrical connector (e.g., a male or female electrical connector) thatelectrically connects to a power source or a control circuit (also notshown in FIG. 5) for energizing and controlling the operation of thelight source 432.

By manipulating the shapes of the design recess and/or lens, chipboards,lighting features, and sensors may be incorporated into vehicle bodycomponents without being limited to the shape of the vehicle component.For example, in FIG. 6 an exemplary vehicle component 500 is illustratedduring the manufacturing process as being disposed on a contoured mold504 with an integrated chipboard, lighting feature, or sensor. Thevehicle component 500 is shaped to match the contours of the mold 504and includes first 508, second 512, third 516, and fourth 520 layers ofcomposite material (e.g., pre-impregnated sheets of carbon fiber weave),a lens 524, a lighting material 528, and electrical wiring 532connecting to the lighting material or light source 528 and disposedthrough a bore 536 formed in the third and fourth layers 516, 520. Thelens 524 may be formed to provide a curved exterior side 540 having anouter edge 544 that flares outwardly from the exterior side 540 ratherthan extend perpendicularly. A design recess, such as a void 548, isformed in the first and second layers 508, 512 to account for thecurvature of the mold 504.

In some cases, the vehicle body components may be made with integratedelectronic components in such a manner that the electronic lightsources, sensors, chipboard etc., can be adapted, changed, or fixedwithout replacing the entire vehicle body component. In the examplesillustrated in FIGS. 7-10 a removable lighting device may beincorporated in a vehicle body component so that a lighting material orlight source may be removed and replaced without discarding the entirevehicle body component. Turning first to FIGS. 7 and 8, a vehiclecomponent 600 may be manufactured to include a removable lighting device604 (or a removable chipboard or sensor) allowing a lighting material orlight source 608 (or a chipboard or sensor) to be removed from aninterior side 612 of a vehicle body component 616. In this case, thevehicle body component 616 includes first 620, second 624, third 628,and fourth 632 layers of composite material, such as carbon fiber weave,and includes an outer resin layer 634. The lighting device 604 includesthe light source 608, which in this case is illustrated as an LED, alens 635, and a backing 636 which is made out of portions of one or morelayers of the composite material (e.g., sheets of resin infused carbonfiber weave). The lighting device 604 also includes electrical wiring640 that traverses through a bore 644 formed in the backing 636.

Generally speaking, the vehicle body component 600 may be manufacturedaccording to the method 100 with one or more additional steps of formingportions of the lighting device 604 after the curing step 170. Forexample, the backing 636 may be formed of a portion of the third 628 andfourth 632 layers of the body 616 that is bonded to the a back portionof the lighting material or light source 608. In particular, the backing636 may be formed by cutting a hole into the layers 632 and 628 aroundthe lighting material 608 from a back side 648 of the fourth layer 632to a top side 650 of the third layer 628. The backing 636 may be sizedaccording to a circumference of the lighting material 608 such that aminimal amount of the body 616 is cut to form the lighting device 604.Moreover, the hole that is cut into the layers 632, 628 is preferablysized to be slightly larger (e.g., in circumference) than the lightsource 608 but preferably smaller than the width (circumference) of thelens 635 to allow the backing 636 (and the light source 608 attachedthereto) to be removed from the void formed by the lens 635. As depictedin FIG. 8, the backing 636 and the light source 608 may be removed fromthe lens 635 and the light source 608 (or sensor in the case that asensor is used as the electronic component, or a chipboard and attachedelectronic devices in the case that a chipboard is used as theelectronic component) may be replaced. In some cases, the light source,chipboard, or sensor 608 may be replaced if it is broken. In othercases, a new or different light source, chipboard, or sensor 608 may beinserted into the component 604 to change the look, design, and/orfunctionality of the electronic component. In another case, thefunctionality of the chipboard may be changed or reprogrammed byupdating or loading new software thereto.

FIG. 9 illustrates yet another example of a vehicle component 700including a removable lighting device 704 that is manufactured byseparately forming the removable lighting device 704 during the assemblyphase 104, for example, of the method 100. A vehicle body component 708is made of first 712, second 716, third 720, and fourth 724 layers ofpre-impregnated composite material with a lens 735 disposed therein andhaving an out resin layer 734 after being cured. The lens 735 accepts aremovable lighting device 704 therein. The removable lighting device 704is separated from the layers 724, 720, 716, 712 and the lens 735 by aspacer 728, which may be a cylindrical casing disposed around a lightingmaterial 732 when the lighting material 732 is placed inside of a designrecess 736 during the manufacturing process. A lighting material backing740 may be formed by placing a fifth 744 and sixth 748 layer ofpre-impregnated composite material on to a back side 752 of the lightingmaterial 732 and within an enclosed space 756 defined by the spacer 728.The spacer 728 permits a user to access the lighting material 732 froman interior side 760 of the vehicle body component 700 and remove thelighting material 732 from the body 708 of the component 700 aftercuring and without performing additional cutting steps. In particular,the spacer 728 is configured to isolate the lighting material 732 andthe lighting material backing 740 from the first 712, second 716, third720, and fourth 724 layers of the body 708. Specifically during curing,the resin of the pre-impregnated composite material fuses to connectwith the surrounding layers of pre-impregnated composite material, andthe spacer 728 provides a barrier to that bonding step between thelighting material backing 740 and the other layers of the body 708.Moreover, the use of the spacer 728 enables the removable electroniccomponent 704 to be formed and cured with the rest of the vehicle bodycomponent 700, or separately therefrom.

Thus, as will be understood, the removable lighting devices 604, 704 ofthe vehicle components 600, 700 of FIGS. 7-9 allow the lighting material608, 732 to be replaced or changed without replacing the entire vehiclecomponent 600, 700. Each of the removable lighting devices 604, 704 maybe accessed from the interior side 612, 760 of the vehicle component600, 700 and the lighting material 608, 732 may be removed and replacedwithout altering the placement of lens, the smooth exterior surface ofthe component body, and the structural integrity of the vehiclecomponent 600, 700.

The removable lighting devices 604, 704 also permits adding or changinga lens filter to change the visual effects of the lighting feature ofthe vehicle component. As illustrated in FIG. 10, a filter 800 isdisposed on a back surface 804 of an exterior side 808 of a lens 812.The filter 800 may be configured to change the color of an otherwisetransparent lens 812 and/or may include a design, an image, or someother artistic rendering. For example, the filter 800 may include a bluehalf 816 and a red half 820 such that when a white LED light 824, forexample, is energized, the lighting feature displays a particular designwith blue and red features. As discussed previously with reference toFIG. 1, lighting and other electronic components 14 of vehicle bodycomponents may display various shapes, like an arrow 52 or a collectionof circles 54, in addition to applying filters to customize the overallappearance of a vehicle.

According to the techniques disclosed herein, any desired design shapemay be formed in the body of the vehicle component during manufacturing,i.e., by forming a design recess in one or more (for example, first andsecond) layers of a layered assembly, and by placing a lens shaped tomatch the design shape of the cavity within the recess and by thenplacing an electronic component into the recess or the lens. The designshape of a lighting feature may be more complex and may include acombination of different lighting effects to accomplish a desired visualdesign and display. FIG. 11 illustrates a carbon fiber vehicle component900 having an integrated lighting feature 904 in the shape of a cat thatmay be manufactured according to the methods or processes describedherein. A body 936 of the component 900 is made of a composite material,such as carbon fiber weave, and the cross-hatching is used to illustratehow the lighting feature stands out against the composite material whenilluminated by the lighting material. In the case shown in FIG. 11, thebody of the vehicle component 936 is formed using pre-impregnated carbonfiber, which leaves a smooth, black, finished exterior surface. FIGS. 12and 13 are included to illustrate two different stages of an assemblyphase of the manufacturing process to reach the finished lightingfeature in FIG. 11.

In FIG. 11, the vehicle body component 900 has an integrated lightingfeature 904 in a design shape 906 of a cat, having a head and body part908 and a tail part 912. When a lighting material of the lightingfeature 904 is powered, light emits through a lens 916 so that theilluminated head and body part 908 appears to be separate from theilluminated tail part 912 of the cat design 906. The head and body part908 and the tail part 912 may be illuminated with a single lightingmaterial or light source disposed within a design recess 920, such as avoid, or the tail part 912 and the head and body part 908 may beilluminated with different lighting materials or light sources. Althoughthe visual effect of the illuminated cat design 906 in FIG. 11 suggeststhat the head and body part 908 is separately lit from the tail part 912of the cat design 906, FIG. 12 illustrates that this visual effect maybe achieved by etching the lens 916 to alter the opacity and thereforethe manner in which the lens 916 diffuses the emitted light of thelighting material or light source. In FIG. 12, the lens 916 is locatedto the right side of a layer 924 (or stacked layers) of pre-impregnatedcarbon fiber with a design recess 920 shaped to receive the lens 916.FIG. 13 illustrates the lens 916 disposed within the design recess 920prior to inserting a lighting material into to the design recess 920 andbehind the lens 916. The lens 916 is a single piece having a head andbody portion 940, a tail portion 944, a connecting portion 948, and anouter edge 928 defining an outline of the design shape 906 and the headand body, tail, and connecting portions 940, 944, 948. The outer edge928 of the lens 916 corresponds with a design wall 932 of the designrecess 920 formed in the layer(s) 924 of pre-impregnated carbon fiber,and the outer edge 928 is configured to engage the design wall 932 ofthe carbon fiber material. The connecting portion 948 of the lens 916 isdisposed between the head and body portion 940 and the tail portion 944and is shaded to represent etching, which alters the opacity of the lens916 and therefore the overall display of the lighting feature 904. Theetching of the connecting portion 948 effectively blocks light of thelighting material from passing through the connecting portion 948 of thelens 916, as shown in FIG. 11, giving the visual effect that the headand body part 916 and tail part 912 are separate lighting features.Alternatively, a filter may be disposed at the connecting portion 948 onan inside surface 952 of the lens to block light from passing throughthe lens 916 at the location of the connecting portion 948. The filtermay also transmit different colors, different light intensities, etc. atdifferent locations of the lens 916 to provide varying visual effects.

The design recess 920 in this example is a void and is formed byremoving a portion of each of a number of layers 924 in the shape of thedesign 906, thereby forming a void 956 in each of layers 924. Each void956 includes an outer edge 960 that forms the design wall 932 of thedesign recess 920 when aligned with an outer edge 960 of an adjacentlayer 924. As shown in FIGS. 11-13, the outer edge 928 of the lens 916engages the design wall 932 of the design recess 920 so that there arepreferably no gaps between the lens 916 and the body 936 of the vehiclecomponent 900. The lens 916 may be a flat piece of polycarbonate oracrylic material, and may include a lip portion 972 or a tab to securethe lens 916 between two (such as between second and third) layers ofcomposite material, forming the body 936 of the vehicle component 900.While only one layer 924 is illustrated in the FIGS. 12 and 13, a backside 964 of a second layer 924 is shown in FIG. 13, and a top side 968of a first layer 924 is shown in FIG. 11.

Etching, as discussed above, can alter the opacity of a lens, andtherefore may be used as a technique to affect the diffusion of thelight through the lens of a lighted electronic component. Etching mayalso be used to provide a three-dimensional design effect, providevariations in shading of the display, and provide small details in thedesign without changing the outline of the design shape. As illustratedin FIGS. 14A-14F, a combination of etching, filters, and design shapescreate lighting features with varying visual effects. FIG. 14A has alighting feature 1000 in the shape of a two-dimensional lightning boltdesign. FIG. 14B illustrates a lighting feature 1004 having a skull andcross-bones design. A lens 1008 may include etching to prevent lightfrom passing through portions 1012 of the lens 1008, providing a visualeffect of the dark orifices of a skull part 1020. The lens 1008 may alsoinclude etching to achieve a three-dimensional image where a cross-bonespart 1016 of the design appears behind the skull part 1020 of thedesign. Alternatively, the cross-bones part 1016 may be achieved bycreating a design recess and lens for each shape of the cross-bones 1016and for the skull 1020. The lighting feature 1022 of FIG. 14C includesan outer circular design recess 1024 and a filter 1028 having threeconcentric circles of different colors disposed on or within the lens,permitting a user to display a target with different filter colors. Avehicle component of FIG. 14D includes a lighting feature 1032 that maybe manufactured with a first 1036, second 1040, and third star-shapeddesign recesses 1044, and with first 1048, second 1052, and third lenses1056 inserted in the corresponding recesses. A lighting material may belocated in each design recess, and each lighting material may be adifferent color to display three stars of different sizes and differentcolors. FIG. 14E includes a lighting feature 1060 of a flag with detailcreated by etching a lens 1064 in an outline of each shape disposedwithin the flag. Alternatively, a filter may be placed within the lens1064 that blocks portions of the lens 1064 to create the flag details.Finally, FIG. 14F depicts a lighting feature 1068 with a first triangle1072 and a second smaller triangle 1076 appearing to float in front ofthe first triangle 1072. The floating effect may be achieved by using afilter and/or etching a portion of a lens 1080 to block light frompassing through the second triangle 1076.

In addition to the various visual effects that may be created by thetechniques described above, the lighting material used to create thedesired lighting feature may vary, as well. For example, the lightingmaterials may include electroluminescent tape, phosphor crystals, lightemitting diodes (LEDs), organic light emitting diodes (OLEDs),fiberglass tubing, solar panels, photovoltaic cells or arrays, neon orother gas filled lights, or other lighting material that may beinstalled. The intensity and color of light emitted by the lightingmaterial can vary based on the method of manufacture of the lightingmaterial, types of lights therein, and frequency and/or amplitude of analternating voltage or direct current voltage that may be applied to thewires, etc., or any combination thereof. The wiring of the lightingmaterial may be connected to a controller and/or into an electricalsystem of the vehicle to allow a user to turn on/off or to selectparticular control systems, such as turn signaling or engine or vehiclespeed, to be used to modulate the energization of the lightingmaterials. The level of illumination of the lighting material may beconfigured to change based on the vehicle control system, for exampleturn signaling or vehicle or engine speed indicators.

Turning to FIG. 15, a vehicle component 1100 may be made according tothe method or process described herein to provide a component with anintegrated LCD screen 1104 or a chip board with a device having a touchscreen. Rather than emit a stationary image, the LCD screen 1104 ortouch screen would allow the vehicle component 1100 to display a motionpicture or allow user-interaction with the touch screen. The vehiclecomponent 1100 includes a layered composite body 1108 having a smoothexterior surface 1112 and a design recess 1116 formed in, for example,first and second layers of the body 1108. The LCD screen 1104 may beinserted into the design recess 1116 and may be encased within anadditional set of one or more layers of composite material added to abackside of the LCD screen 1104. In a similar manner, a vehiclecomponent 1100 may be manufactured to incorporate one or more sensorsused for security, controlling certain functions of a vehicle, and/oraiding a user while driving the vehicle. Various types of sensors may beintegrated into a vehicle component, for example, acoustic sensors,temperature sensors, navigation instruments, photoelectric sensors,alarm sensors, motion detectors, and personal-identity sensors.

Of course, while the integrated electronic components of a vehicle bodyhave been described herein as being used on automobile body components,these integrated electronic components could be used on or with othertypes of vehicles as well or instead. For example, in yet anotherexample of a vehicle component, FIG. 16 illustrates a customizedcomposite bicycle frame 1200 with lighting features 1204, 1206integrated into different bicycle frame components, such as a seat tube1208, a top tube 1212, and a head tube 1216. The example frame 1200 ismade of a composite material, such as carbon fiber, fiberglass, etc.,and provides both functional and artistic integrated lighting features1204, 1206. For example, the seat tube 1208 and the head tube 1216include integrated lighting features 1206 disposed on a right side and aleft side of the bicycle frame 1200 to provide a turn signal, toindicate braking, or to illuminate a surrounding environment, such as ahead lamp or a rear light. The top tube 1212 includes an example of anintegrated lighting feature 1206 that displays an illuminated logo 1218and lettering 1220, which may indicate a brand, name, team, or slogan.Furthermore, the bicycle frame may include an integrated sensingmechanism 1224 in a down tube 1228 of the frame 1200, for example aphotoelectric sensor that is configured to illuminate one or more of thelighting features 1204, 1206 when the bicycle is in a dark environment.

The bicycle frame 1200 may be manufactured according to the method 100described herein as a single frame 1200, or each frame component may bemanufactured separately. For example, each component may include acomposite body with first, second, third, and fourth layers of compositematerial (but which could include more or less layers), a lens, alighting material disposed in one or more recesses formed in variousones of the layers of the body 1200, and electrical wiring connectingthe chipboard, lighting material, and the sensor 1224 to an externalpower source. The lettering 1220 may be formed, for example, by forminga design recess in a shape of each letter, and the coloring of thelettering 1220 may be altered using colored filters, colored lightingmaterial, and etching on the lenses. As shown in previous examples ofvehicle components, the wiring may be embedded within the body 1200 ofthe vehicle body component, for example, between second and third layersof composite material, between third and fourth layers of compositematerial, or traversed through the third and fourth layers of the bodyto an inside surface of the component. The lighting features 1204 may beconnected to a controller so that a user may indicate a turningdirection and/or to illuminate other lighting material so that the bikeframe 1200 is illuminated when the user is riding in the dark or atother times. The lighting features 1204, 1206 are electrically connectedto a power source, such as a battery, disposed on the interior surfaceof the bicycle frame 1200, and may be configured to connect to one ofthe mechanical systems of the bicycle, such as the braking system toilluminate the lighting features 1204, 1206 automatically when the userapplies the brakes.

The body of the vehicle components described herein may be made ofdifferent pre-impregnated composite materials, such as, carbon fiber,Kevlar, and fiberglass. Typically, pre-impregnated carbon fiber may comein the form of carbon fiber sheets that are pre-treated and reinforcedwith resin, such as epoxy. As previously discussed, under heat and/orpressure treatment, the epoxy is drawn to an interior side of the moldand forms a uniformly distributed clear protective layer over theexterior surface of the entire component. If a certain design effectrequires a large design recess to be formed in the first and secondlayers, an additional layer of resin may be added in the assembly phaseso that the entire component has an even exterior surface. Fiberglassand carbon fiber weave may be dyed to change the color of the vehiclecomponent body, and fiberglass may be treated to be translucent. In apreferred vehicle component, the pre-impregnated composite material is apre-impregnated carbon fiber having a 70% carbon fiber and 30% epoxycomposition. In another embodiment, the vehicle components withintegrated electronic components may be manufactured by high pressureresin transfer molding.

Chipboards, lighting materials, sensors, LCD screens, and other similardevices generally require an energization mechanism that energize thematerials from an external power source to cause the material to emitlight and/or function. Dual conductors are illustrated as the wiring inthe multiple examples illustrated herein and are disposed between andthrough different layers of composite material of the body of thevehicle component. The wiring provides a supply and return electricalenergy (voltage and/or current) for energizing the chipboard, lightingmaterials, and/or sensors. A voltage can be applied between or acrossdual conductors from the vehicle power system by wires to provide ameans for energizing the chipboard, lighting materials, and/or sensorsintegrated into the body of the component. When a voltage is appliedbetween the supply and return wires, the chipboard may transmit signals,the lighting material may emit light, and the sensors may be activated.The power source may be the vehicle electrical system, as discussedabove, a battery of the vehicle, a battery disposed within a compartmentattached to an inside surface of the component body, or bynon-electrical means, for example, when a vehicle door opens.Furthermore, a sensor may be configured to electrically connect alighting material also integrated within a vehicle component bycommunicating with a chipboard.

In FIG. 17, a different customized vehicle body 1310 with integratedlighting features 1314 is illustrated. The lighting features 1314 maydisplay a particular design and/or provide a certain function to thevehicle body 1310 by incorporating tubular lighting technology builtinto, or integrated with, one or more body components of the vehiclebody 1310. The tubular lighting features 1314, as compared to thelighting features 16 of FIG. 1A, may provide a continuous, illuminatedline design without requiring a filter to create the desired styling,image, illuminated logo, and/or lettering. The lighting feature 1314itself can be used for designs that require continuous shapes andprecision. The tubular lighting component or feature 1314 may be, forexample, a glass fiber optic lighting guide disclosed in U.S. Pat. No.9,329,318, entitled “Side Emitting Glass Element,” the entire contentsof which are incorporated herein by reference.

In one example, a lighting feature 1314 integrated with a rocker 1322may be energized to provide a constant linear light beam to illuminatean area underneath the car body 1310. In another example, a lightingfeature 1314 of a car door 1338 can display a name “Salvaggio” incursive writing with precision that can match a personalized signature.In another example, the lighting features 1314 of a front fender 1330provide multiple, continuous lines with varying thickness. In yetanother example, one lighting feature 1314 may be integrated with afront fender 1330, car door 1338, roof 1346, and back fender 1318 toprovide a continuous, linear detail that may illuminate the outline of atop portion of the vehicle body 1310. As illustrated in the vehicle body1310 of FIG. 17, the lighting features 1314 may be used to create arange of lighting shapes and effects. Additionally, the lightingfeatures 1314 may provide a range of different colored designs.

The tubular lighting components 1314 of FIG. 17 may be integrated intothe vehicle body 1310 made of, for example, a composite material so thateach vehicle body component has a smooth exterior surface. The lightingmaterial 1314 may be incorporated into a vehicle body component in thesame or similar manner as previously discussed and with reference to theintegrated electronic components of FIGS. 1-16. Alternatively, the lightsource of the tubular lighting components 1314 may be attached to anopen end of a tube after the vehicle component is manufactured. Thelight source would electrically connect to a power source hidden fromview, such as a battery 1316 or electrical circuits 1362 of anelectrical system of the vehicle, and this power source may or may notbe integrated within the carbon fiber layers.

FIG. 18 illustrates an example tubular lighting component 1387 that maybe incorporated into the vehicle body 1310 of FIG. 17. The tubularlighting component 1387 includes a glass rod 1390 or tube having a firstend 1392, a second end 1394, and a light guide 1396 disposed within thetube 1390. The light guide 1396 may include one or more flexiblefilaments, e.g. optical fibers, that extend between the first and secondends 1392 and 1394 of the tube 1390, and that can carry, distribute,and/or reflect light waves from end to end. The tubular lightingcomponent 1387 in FIG. 18 is shaped in a double curve configuration,which may be formed by heat-treating the glass tube 1390. A light source1386, which may be any lighting material described herein such as, forexample, an LED light, is disposed adjacent to the first end 1392, alsoreferred to as an “open end,” of the tube 1390 and directs light throughthe light guide 1396. Opposite the light source 1386, the second end1394 of the tube 1390, also referred to as a “closed end” or “end wall”of the tube 1390, effectively acts as an end point of the lightdistributed by the light guide 1396. The closed end 1394 reflects thelight transmitted from the light guide 1396 back through the tube 1390to create a solid, illuminated line. The end wall 1394 provides abarrier to the light waves carried by the 1396 so that the light doesnot dissipate through the tube 1390. So configured, when the lightsource 1386 is energized, light waves of the light source 1386 maytravel through the open end 1392 of the tube 1390 and through theflexible filaments of the light guide 1396. The filaments of the lightguide 1396 reflect the light waves through the glass medium of the tube1390 and illuminate the double curve lighting design. In this manner,light emits from the edges of the light guide 1396 to thereby illuminatea pattern in the shape of the light guide 1396 as disposed in thecomposite material. The composite material may provide a darkcontrasting background against the light emitting from the edges of thelight guide 1396.

In another configuration shown in FIG. 19, a tubular lighting component1487 includes a tube 1490 shaped in a semi-circle with a light source1486A and 1486B at each end 1492 and 1494. In this case, the first andsecond ends 1492 and 1494 of the tube 1490 are both open such that thelight sources 1486A and 1486B may direct light through the light guide1496 disposed in the tube 1490. Each light 1486A and 1486B may be adifferent color to provide a certain visual affect. When illuminated,light emits from the edges of the light guide 1496.

The tubes 1390 and 1490 of the tubular lighting components 1387 and 1487of FIGS. 18 and 19 may be made of glass or plastic, and each tube 1390and 1490 contains a light guide 1396 and 1496 including one or morebundled filaments. The filaments may be gas, glass, plastic, fiber, orother suitable material for transmitting and reflecting light throughthe surrounding medium of the tube 1390 and 1490. The brightness of thelighting component 1387 and 1487 may be changed based on certainmaterial properties for each of the tube 1390 and 1490 and light guides1396 and 1496. For example, a constant illumination may be provided whena refractive index of the light guide material is greater than arefractive index of the tube material. Additionally, the brilliance orbrightness of the illuminated line created by the tubular lightingcomponent 1387 and 1487 may be elected based on a ratio of a diameter ofthe light guide 1396 and 1496 relative to a diameter of the tube 1390and 1490. For example, the diameter of the tube 1390 and 1490 may beapproximately 2.2 mm and up to 3.65 mm. In a preferred embodiment, thetube 1390 and 1490 is glass or other suitable material that binds to theresin and/or the composite material layer.

FIGS. 20A and 20B illustrate a cross-sectional view of a vehicle bodycomponent 1580 having an integrated tubular lighting component 1587,such as, for example, one of the tubular lighting components 1314 ofFIG. 17. As illustrated in FIGS. 20A and 20B, the integrated tubularlighting component 1587 may display an artistic design at an exterior(in this case at the top edge as depicted in FIGS. 20A and 20B) of thecomponent 1580 when the lighting component 1587 is illuminated. Theintegrated vehicle component 1580 has an exterior cured layer of resin1582 formed over the tubular lighting component 1587 and three layers orsheets 1584 of woven fiber weave, such as carbon fiber. As will beunderstood, the resin layer 1582 is made of resin that, when baked underheat and/or pressure during the curing process, flows frompre-impregnated sheets of carbon fiber 1584 to form the outer layer ofthe component 1580. More particularly, the resin layer 1582 forms asmooth outer surface of the component 1580 with no seams, gaps, orcreases therein. The tubular lighting component 1587, such as one of thetype of tubular lighting components 1387 and 1487 previously describedwith reference to FIGS. 18 and 19, is integrated between the resin layer1582 and one of the carbon fiber sheets 1584. In this case, the tubularlighting component 1587 is in the form of a simple linear tube 1590, alight guide 1596 centrally disposed within the tube 1590, and anadjacent light source 1586. As illustrated in FIGS. 20A and 20B, thetubular lighting component 1587 may be disposed in a design recess,which may be a non-flat structure, such as a groove or indentation,either pre-formed in one or more of the carbon fiber layers 1584 priorto curing, or formed when the carbon fiber sheets 1584 mold to the shapeof the tube 1590 during curing.

As depicted in FIG. 20A, the light source 1586, which may be an LED, anincandescent light, a CFL light bulb, a neon light bulb, a florescentlight bulb, etc., is disposed adjacent to a first end 1592 of the tube1590. When the light source 1586 is energized, light waves created bythe light source 1586 propagate through the light guide 1596 toilluminate a thin line extending the length of the tube 1590. The lightemitted by the tube 1590 may exit from the component 1580 through theresin layer 1582 so that the light may be visible from the exterior ofthe component 1580. In the illustrated example, the light source 1586 isdisposed outside of the carbon fiber sheets 1584, and may be connectedto the open end 1592 of the tube 1590. A second end 1594 of the tube1590 is adjacent to a layer of carbon fiber 1584 so that the second end1594 of the tube 1590 reflects the light back through the light guide1596. While the illustrated example depicts the light source 1586disposed outside of the integrated component 1580, in other cases, thelight source 1586 may be integrated with the tube 1590 of the lightingcomponent 1587 and/or integrated between the layers of resin 1582 and/orcarbon fiber sheets 1584, such as the integrated lighting materialspreviously described. Similarly, a set of wires or other electronicenergization leads 1588 connect the light source 1586 to a source ofenergization (not shown in FIGS. 20A and 20B) and may be disposedoutside of the carbon fiber layers 1584, or may be fed through ordisposed between two of the carbon fiber layers or sheets 1584 and may,at some point, exit from the component 1580 such as from the back of thecomponent 1580. The leads 1588 may be two or more leads depending on thetype of light source 1586.

FIG. 21 illustrates an exploded layered assembly 1600 of a vehicle bodycomponent 1600 with a tubular lighting detail provided by a tubularlighting component 1656. In this example, a mold 1602 of a vehiclecomponent, which in this case is a hood of an automobile body, includesa contoured interior side 1606 and may be coated with a wax or non-stickcoating so that the pre-impregnated composite material does not bond orstick to the mold 1602 during the curing step. The tubular lightingcomponent 1656 includes a lighting tube 1658 and a light source 1661.The lighting tube 1658 may be the combined component of the tube 1390,1490, 1590 and light guide 1396, 1496, and 1596 of any of the tubularlighting components 1387, 1487, and 1587 previously described withreference to FIGS. 18-20B. As such, the lighting tube 1658 may include arefractive medium, such as glass, surrounding one or more flexiblefilaments centrally disposed within the lighting tube 1658. The lightingtube 1658 may be disposed directly adjacent to the interior side 1606 ofthe mold 1602, and the light source 1661 may be positioned adjacent toan open end 1676 of the lighting tube 1658. In one assembly of thelighting component 1656, the light source 1661 may be connected to thelighting tube 1658 when the lighting component 1656 is added to theassembly 1600. In another example, the light source 1661 may be added tothe component 1600 after the component assembly 1600 is cured, at whichpoint the light source 1661 may be connected to the integrated lightingtube 1658. In any event, the light source 1661 is placed adjacent to thefirst end 1676 of the tube 1658. As illustrated in the example of FIG.19, a second light source may be added to a second open end 1678 of thetube 1658. The light source 1661 provides wiring 1660 with a first end1662 connected to the light source 1661 and a second end 1664 configuredto connect the light source 1661 to a power source, such as a controlcircuit, battery, etc.

First, second, and third layers 1614, 1668, and 1672 of pre-impregnatedcomposite material, such as pre-impregnated carbon fiber, may be addedon top of the lighting tube 1658 where the first layer 1614 encloses thetube 1658 against the mold 1602. The composite material (carbon fiberweave) may be configured to flex, bend, and fold to permit each of thefirst, second, and third layers 1614, 1668, and 1672 to bend with eachcontour of the tubular rod 1658 and/or the contours of the mold 1602.Applying heat to the first, second, and third layers 1614, 1668, and1672 may allow the layers to “give” easily and better form around thetube 1658, such as forming a design recess such as an indent or groovebased on the shape of the tube 1658. The layers 1614, 1668, and 1672provide a lighting material backing. Additional layers ofpre-impregnated composite material may be added, and UV protection maybe provided to finish the vehicle component.

As discussed previously, a tubular lighting component 1787 may be addedto the vehicle body component 1780 after the vehicle body component 1780is assembled, shaped to a mold, and cured. For example, FIGS. 22 and 23illustrate a tubular lighting component 1787 and a vehicle bodycomponent 1780 manufactured and formed to receive the tubular lightingcomponent 1787. The vehicle body component 1780 includes a plurality ofcomposite sheets 1784 molded together forming an integrated body. Adesign recess or groove 1795 is formed in an outer surface 1783 of thecomponent 1780, and is shaped to receive a tube 1790 of the lightingcomponent 1787. The groove 1795 is formed during manufacturing by amethod of manufacturing that is similarly to the method previouslydescribed and shown in FIG. 2. However, instead of directly placing thelighting component 1787 onto the mold, a tubular spacer (not shown) isplaced between the mold and the pre-impregnated composite sheets 1784.The spacer permits the composite sheets 1784 to mold around the shape ofthe spacer so that a groove 1795 is formed in the outer surface 1784 ofthe vehicle body 1780. After the assembly is cured, the spacer isremoved, leaving the groove 1795 sized to receive the tubular lightingcomponent 1787. The groove 1795 may be shaped to slidably receive thetube 1790 so that the lighting component slides in a parallel directionrelative to the groove 1795 and fastened in place. The groove 1795 mayalso receive the lighting component 1787 by friction fit, where thelighting component 1787 is snapped into place by aligning the tubularlighting component 1787 with the groove and then pressing the tube 1790downward into the groove 1795. Alternatively, the lighting component1787 may be removably attached or fastened within the groove 1795 byfixing the tube 1790 to the groove 1795 with an adhesive.

In yet another embodiment, any number of sensors, processors, lights,and/or other electronic components may be mounted on or be integrated aspart of a chip or a chip board integrated into a vehicle body component.The processors (which may be stand-alone components or which may be partof a chip set or chipboard) may be general purpose, programmableprocessors, application specific integrated circuits (ASICs),programmable logic controllers (PLCs) or any other general, specific, orsingle use processors, including processors that have read only orread/write memories, such as EPROMs, EEPROMs, flash memory, etc.Moreover, each chipboard or chip set may be a standalone unit that mayinclude one or more electronic sensors, processors, etc., electronicallyconnected to one or more integrated lighting features and the integratedlighting features may be controlled locally by the logic on the chipset.In other cases, the integrated electronic system may include a networkof communicating electronic devices (e.g., sensors, processors, lightingfeatures, etc.) which may communicate with each other via an electronicbus (which may be a wired or a wireless bus, for example) that isintegrated into the vehicle, such as into the vehicle body or vehiclebody panels. In this case, various different sensors, processors,lighting features, and other electronic components may be disposed indifferent locations or in different chipsets at different locations inthe vehicle (e.g., in the door panels, the body panels, the roof, etc.of the vehicle) and these components may be connected via a wired bus,such as a CAN bus or any other open protocol or proprietary protocolcommunications bus. The various electronic components may communicatewith each other via the bus using, for example, addressedcommunications.

As an example, FIG. 24 illustrates an example vehicle body 1700 withintegrated lighting features 1702, sensors 1704, chipboards 1706 and oneor more wired buses 1710 disposed within and/or integrated within thevehicle body 1700 or body components of the vehicle body 1700. In thiscase, the sensors 1704 may be motion, touch, light, etc. sensors whichare powered independently or which may be powered via the bus 1710, andthe sensors 1704 may send signals to one or more processors (such as toa processor on the chipboard 1706) via the bus 1710. The processor maystore and implement control logic that determines one or more actions tobe taken based on the sensor measurements or signals. The processor onthe chipboard 1706 may then generate control or activation signals(e.g., digital or analog messages or signals) that are sent over the bus1710 to one or more of the lighting features 1702 (e.g., to turnintegrated lighting features on or off) and/or to other electroniccomponents (e.g., to electronic actuators that unlock or lock doors),etc. The lighting features 1702 and/or other electronic components maybe integrated into a body panel or may be apart from or dependent from abody panel (e.g., the locking and unlocking mechanism for a door). Ofcourse, the electronic system could be configured with point to pointcommunications, such that the processors may send activation or controlsignals via dedicated communication lines integrated into one or morevehicle body panels to various components using non-bus basedcommunications, such as analog signals. In a still furtherimplementation, the wired communication bus 1710 may be replaced with awireless communication network, such as a local area network implementedwithin the vehicle 1700 to perform communications with and between thevarious electronic components 1702, 1704, 1706. In such a case, eachchipset or each electronic component may include a wireless interface toperform wireless communications with other components. If desired, theintegrated electronic components 1702, 1704, 1706 may communicate viathe same wireless network as a wireless network provided within thevehicle, such as one having a server communicatively connected to theinternet, a wireless telephone system, etc. The integrated electroniccomponents 1702, 1704, 1706 may also be connected to the vehicle engineand diagnostics communications network if so desired.

As will be understood, any or all of the electronic components, e.g.,the lights 1702, the sensors 1704, the chipboards 1706, the wired bus1710, may be integrated within the body panels of the vehicle using anyof the techniques described herein. Moreover, in some cases, a processoror a chipset 1706 may activate a lighting feature 1702 or engage asensor 1704 or other electronic device by providing a power signal tothe lighting feature 1702 or sensor 1704 or electronic device, or theprocessor or chipboard 1706 may communicate with lighting features 1702and other electronic components via digital signals to active thesecomponents. The bus 1710 may be limited to a particular vehicle bodycomponent or may span or extend across various different body componentsas illustrated in FIG. 24 in which the bus 1710 extends through thefront fender panel, the driver's side door panel and the rear fenderpanel. Bus connectors 1715 may be located at the edge of each panel, andthese connectors 1715 may be integrated into the panels so as to have aconnector interface extending out of or at least at the edge of thepanel, which the interface enables a separate electrical connection tobe connected between the adjoining panels to thereby extend the bus 1710across the edges of the various panels. In this manner, the bus 1710enables processors in one panel to receive signals from and to controlelectronic devices 1702, 1704, 1706 located at and/or integrated intoother vehicle panels. Still further, the bus 1710 may be a powered busthat provides power (e.g., DC or AC current or voltage) to one or moreof the electronic components 1702, 1704, 1706 connected to the bus 1710.In this case, a power supply (which may be connected to the vehiclebattery or which may be a stand-alone power supply) may be connected tothe bus 1710 to provide power over the bus 1710 to power or energize theother electronic components 1702, 1704, 1706 connected to the bus 1710.

As one example, a driver-side rocker of the vehicle body 1700 mayinclude a chipboard 1706 connected to a motion sensor 1704 and alighting feature 1702, both of which are integrated into a carbon fiberbody of the rocker as described above. The motion sensor 1704 may bepositioned to detect movement, such as, for example, an object droppingfrom above and falling underneath the car body. The connected chipboard1706 or the processor on the chipboard 1706 receives information orsignals from the sensor 1704, and may be programmed to turn on theconnected lighting features 1702 in the driver-side rocker or on thedoor component in response to various kinds of signals from the sensor1704. Additionally, the chipboard 1706 may communicate the sensorinformation via the CAN bus 1710 or other protocol bus installed in orattached to the vehicle body 1700, to other processors or electroniccomponents, which receive the information from the chipset 1706 andrespond by taking other actions, if desired. As an example, the CAN bus1710 may be designed to provide communications between the chipset 1706and a chipboard integrated in the passenger-side rocker (not shown inFIG. 24). In this example, the bus 1710 can relay one or more sensorsignals to both the driver-side and passenger-side chipboards, which canthen turn on their respective connected lighting features to illuminateboth sides of the car body. The CAN bus 1710 may thus be used to providecommunications between a number of different integrated chipboards orother electronic components 1702, 1704, 1706 within the vehicle body1700. The bus 1710 may send digital signals, power signals, or boththrough the wires or leads of the bus 1710. A given chipboard 1706 mayreceive certain commands via the bus 1710 and may execute the commandsby turning on a sensor 1704, turning on a light 1702, etc. If desired,the copper wires or other wires of the bus 1710, e.g., the CAN bus, maybe shielded prior to being incorporated into or integrated into a bodycomponent 1700 to protect the signals on the bus 1710 from interferingsignals or frequencies, and these wires may be integrated into thecarbon fiber layers or other composite layers of the vehicle panels orcomponents in any of the manners described herein.

Moreover, the operation of the chipboards or of any of the connectedelectronic devices 1702, 1704, 1706 may be changed via software updateswhich may be provided via the bus 1710, via a wireless communicationprotocol communication network, or in any other manner. Still further,any type of bus or wireless protocol may be used to performcommunications between electronic components, including internetprotocol communications, Bluetooth communications, etc.

Further, while the vehicle components described herein have beendescribed mainly for automobiles, similar components, shells, and/orpanels can be made for other types of vehicles including bicycles,trucks, three-wheelers, snow mobiles, jet skis, airplanes, speed boats,motorcycles, hoverboards, electric scooters, and segways.

The figures and description provided herein depict and describepreferred embodiments of vehicle component shells and a design andordering system for such vehicle components shells for purposes ofillustration only. One skilled in the art will readily recognize fromthe foregoing discussion that alternative embodiments of the structuresand methods illustrated herein may be employed without departing fromthe principles described herein. Thus, upon reading this disclosure,those of skill in the art will appreciate still additional alternativestructural and functional designs for vehicle component shells and for asystem and a process for designing, manufacturing and installing vehiclecomponent shells may be used. Thus, while particular embodiments andapplications have been illustrated and described, it is to be understoodthat the disclosed embodiments are not limited to the preciseconstruction and components disclosed herein. Various modifications,changes and variations, which will be apparent to those skilled in theart, may be made in the arrangement, operation and details of the methodand apparatus disclosed herein without departing from the spirit andscope defined in the appended claims.

What is claimed is:
 1. A vehicle component comprising: a body having aplurality of layers of composite material, the body including a designrecess formed in at least one of the plurality of layers of compositematerial, the body further including an exterior surface adjacent to theat least one of the plurality of layers of composite material and aninterior surface adjacent to a different layer of the plurality oflayers of composite material; and an electronic component located withinthe design recess and between the interior surface and the exteriorsurface of the body.
 2. The vehicle component of claim 1, comprisingelectrical wiring having a first end and a second end, the first endconnected to the electronic component and the second end externallylocated from the body and configured to connect to a power source. 3.The vehicle component of claim 1, wherein the electronic component is asensor.
 4. The vehicle component of claim 1, wherein the electroniccomponent is a lighting material.
 5. The vehicle component of claim 4,wherein the lighting material is a fiber optical lighting component. 6.The vehicle component of claim 4, further comprising a lens locatedwithin the design recess, the lens configured to diffuse light emittedfrom the lighting material.
 7. The vehicle component of claim 6, whereinthe lens includes an exterior surface that is coplanar with at leastpart of the at least one of the plurality of layers of the body.
 8. Thevehicle component of claim 6, wherein the lens includes a lip disposedbetween two of the plurality of layers of composite material to suspendthe lens within the design recess.
 9. The vehicle component of claim 2,wherein the electrical wiring is disposed within a bore formed in theinterior surface of the body.
 10. The vehicle component of claim 2,wherein the electrical wiring is disposed between two of the pluralityof layers of composite material.
 11. The vehicle component of claim 1,wherein the electronic component is removably attached to the body. 12.The vehicle component of claim 1, wherein one of the plurality of layersof the body includes hardened resin and a different one of the pluralityof layers of the body is a layer of carbon fiber.
 13. The vehiclecomponent of claim 1, wherein each layer of the composite material is apre-impregnated carbon fiber sheet and includes 70% carbon fiber and 30%epoxy, and wherein the exterior surface of the body includes a layer ofepoxy.
 14. A method of manufacturing a vehicle component, the methodcomprising: providing a mold of a vehicle component, the mold includingan interior side; adding a first layer of composite material to theinterior side of the mold, wherein the first layer includes a top sideand a back side, the top side adjacent to the interior side of the moldand configured to take a shape of the interior side of the mold; forminga design recess in at least the first layer of composite material;placing an electronic component within the design recess; adding asecond layer of composite material, wherein the second layer includes atop side and a back side, a portion of the top side adjacent to theelectronic component, wherein the mold, first layer, second layer, andelectronic component are arranged in a layered assembly; impregnatingthe first layer and second layer of composite material with epoxy;curing the layered assembly to shape the first layer of compositematerial to the shape of the interior side of the mold and to produce anintegrated body having an integrated electronic component, an exteriorsurface, and an interior surface.
 15. The method of claim 14, furthercomprising placing the layered assembly into a bag and sealing the bag,and vacuuming the layered assembly sealed in the bag before curing thelayered assembly.
 16. The method of claim 14, wherein impregnating thefirst layer and second layer of composite material includes obtaining afirst layer and a second layer of pre-impregnated carbon fiber.
 17. Themethod of claim 14, wherein impregnating the first layer and secondlayer of composite material includes adding epoxy to the layeredassembly before curing the layered assembly.
 18. The method of claim 14,further comprising connecting wiring to the electronic componentadjacent to a portion of the second layer such that the wiring isdisposed between the first layer and the second layer of compositematerial.
 19. The method of claim 18, further comprising disposing thewiring connected to the electronic component through a bore formed inthe second layer of composite material and a bore formed in anadditional layer of composite material such that one end of the wiringis externally located from the integrated body.
 20. The method of claim14, further comprising adding a different layer of composite material tothe first layer, wherein the different layer includes a top side and aback side, the top side adjacent to the back side of the first layer andwherein the layered assembly includes the different layer of compositematerial.
 21. The method of claim 20, wherein forming the design recessincludes removing a portion of the first layer of composite material ina shape of a design to form a void having an outer edge and removing aportion of the different layer of composite material in the shape of thedesign to form a void with an outer edge, and further aligning the voidof the first layer with the void of the different layer, wherein theouter edge of the void of the first layer is adjacent to the outer edgeof the void of the different layer.
 22. The method of claim 20, whereinforming the design recess includes cutting the first layer of compositematerial and the different layer of composite material to form a voidafter the different layer of composite material is added to the firstlayer of composite material.
 23. The method of claim 14, wherein formingthe design recess and placing the electronic component within the designrecess simultaneously includes shaping the first layer of compositematerial around the electronic component.
 24. The method of claim 14,further comprising placing a spacer within the design recess and aroundthe electronic component to permit the electronic component to beremovable from the layered assembly after the curing step, the spacerconfigured to isolate the electronic component from the first layer andsecond layer of composite material.
 25. The method of claim 14, furthercomprising placing a lens within the design recess, wherein an exterioredge of the lens is configured to engage an outer edge of the designrecess, and wherein placing the electronic component within the designrecess includes placing a lighting material between the lens and thesecond layer of composite material, the lighting material configured toilluminate when powered.
 26. The method of claim 14, wherein placing theelectronic component within the design recess includes placing a lightemitting diode (LED) within the design recess.
 27. The method of claim14, wherein placing the electronic component within the design recessincludes placing a fiber optical lighting component within the designrecess.
 28. The method of claim 14, wherein curing the layered assemblyincludes forming a clear and smooth layer of epoxy between the interiorside of the mold and the top surface of the first layer of compositematerial.
 29. The method of claim 14, wherein placing the electroniccomponent within the design recess includes placing a sensor within thedesign recess.
 30. The method of claim 14, wherein placing theelectronic component within the design recess includes placing achipboard within the design recess.